The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Bonding is a method of joining two materials together to form a single contiguous material into a work piece. The bonding process can include adhering, welding, and crimping. The two materials can be like materials, i.e., metals combined together or plastics combined together, or dissimilar materials, i.e., a combination of dissimilar metals or combination of metals and plastics. In the case of welding, the two materials are typically of similar chemical composition, e.g., each composed of a ferrous or nonferrous metals, or can be differing chemical composition, e.g., combining ferrous and nonferrous metals. The welding processes can include many forms, including arc welding, oxyfuel welding, resistance welding, electroslag welding, laser beam welding, ultrasonic welding, and electron beam welding.
Welding can be localized or run the length of the interaction of the work piece. Examples of localized welding are spot welding and projection welding. Spot welding is typically a form of resistance welding wherein two electrodes hold the work pieces together and current is run through the electrodes to form a weld nugget. Projection welding utilizes raised sections on one or both of the materials to be joined. Heat can be applied to the raised sections creating a weld nugget at the projections.
The welding process has many variables to consider including the duration and the amount of energy used. Once these have been determined, the welding process may be consistently repeated. Variation in either the duration or the amount of energy supplied can cause weak weld integrity or no weld integrity when an incomplete or no weld is formed in the work piece. The incomplete or no weld having weak integrity or no integrity results in less than desired joint properties, e.g., strength and electrical transfer, and can cause unexpected performance of the work piece.